Feeder for labelling machines

ABSTRACT

A feeder mechanism incorporated in a machine for attaching labels to work units. The feeder mechanism cooperates with and singly extracts labels from a label container, carries and delivers the singled labels to a gumming drum which passes the gummed, singled labels to a label-applicator device. The feeder has plural arms, being a substantially star-shaped unit, each arm being provided with label singling and receiving surfaces containing controlled suction apertures for holding the labels. A planetary or epicyclic gearing drives the star-shaped feeder so each label receiving surface passes along a cycloid path.

United States Patent [191 Schlacht [111 3,7913% Feb. 12, 1974 FEEDER FOR LABELLING MACHINES [75] Inventor: Ernst Schlacht, Berlin, Germany [73] Assignee: Johann Weiss, Maschinenfabrik und Apparatebau GmbI-I, Berlin, Germany [22] Filed: July 7, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 269,547

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July.20, 1971 Germany 2136908 [52] U.S. Cl. 156/571, l56/DIG. 31 [51] Int. Cl. B65C 9/14 [58] Field of Search 156/571, DIG. 31, 39, 41

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,725,l8l 4/l973 Davies ..156/57l FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Great Britain 156/571 Primary ExaminerDouglas J I Drummond Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Strauch, Nolan, Neale, Nies & KurZ 7 [5 7 ABSTRACT A feeder mechanism incorporated in a machine for attaching labels to work units. The feeder mechanism cooperates with and singly extracts labels from a label container, carries and delivers the singled labels to a gumming drum which passes the gummed, singled labels to a label-applicator device. The feeder has plural arms, being a substantially star-shaped unit, each arm being provided with label singling and receiving surfaces containing controlled suction apertures for holding the labels. A planetary or epicyclic gearing drives the star-shaped feeder so each label receiving surface passes along a cycloid path.

4 Claims, 20 Drawing Figures PAIEMEBKM 3.791.904

I SHEET use? 10 PAIENKHEMZIQH 5.791 .904

sum as er 1o 1 FEEDER FOR LABELLING MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a label singling feeder for labelling machines where labels are extracted singly from a label container and delivered via a gumming drum to a label-applicator device.

With known feeders of this nature, the smooth transfer of a label from the label container which requires singling and advancing of that label by the feeder presents difficulties, which often exclude the use of relatively high working speeds which can be readily accomodated by the other parts of the labelling machine. The same difficulties also arise at the location where the feeder passes the label to the gumming drum which will feed the label to the label-applicator device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary purpose of the invention is to improve the efficiency of the labelling machines, which operate with a gumming drum arranged before the labelfeeding mechanism, in such a way that, without any appreciably increased capital expenditure to be expended for the labelling machines, their output capacity can be considerably increased by improving the operating speed.

Accordingly a primary object of the invention is to provide a feeder for labelling machines with which, usingthe simplest possible constructional means, it is possible to achieve a smooth singling extraction of the label from the label container so as to permit highest possible operating speeds, with a concurrent smooth transfer of the singled label to a suction transfer cylinder, interposed between the feeder and the gumming drum.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the fact that the labelling machine feeder is so constructed with arms arranged in star fashion and the end of each of its arms carrying the lable-receiving surfaces. The feeder star unit is mounted on the crank pin of a crankshaft together with and connected fast for rotation with an externally toothed planet wheel arranged coaxially of the feeder star. The planet gear wheel meshes with a fixed internally toothed sun wheel arranged concentrically of the crankshaft, the arrangement being such that the center line of suction apertures in each of the label-receiving surfaces at the ends of the feeder star arms describes a cycloid, of which an outer reversing point coincides with the label-transfer position between a feeder star arm and the label container arranged adjacent the periphery of the feeder star arm path while the transfer position between the feeder star arms and the periphery of a suction cylinder, located between the feeder star arm periphery path and the periphery of a cylindrical gumming drum, lies in the middle between the cycloid path reversing point and a second cycloid path reversing point which is adjacent to it. The suction cylinder receives the labels from the label-supporting surface of the feeder star and advances them on to the periphery of the gumming 'drum.

In a preferred constructional form of the feeder, the outer reversal points of the cycloid path are spaced apart by one-fifth of a revolution of the crankshaft and with one revolution of the latter, the feeder star carries out one-quarter of a revolution, and the transmission ratio between sun wheel and planet wheel amounts to 1.25 l.

The control of the suction apertures which are arranged on the feeder and which respectively secure and release the labels is effected in a manner which constructionally is simple by the fact that the planet wheel is formed with passage openings for the vacuum to be supplied to the suction apertures through a duct which is arranged axially parallel in the arm of and extends parallel to the axis of the feeder star and is in fluid communication with the suction apertures in the labelreceiving surfaces of the associated arm. Formed on its underside is a packing surface, which co-operates with a rotary slide valve, known per se, and urged under the action of a spring against the packing surface, the slide valve serving to selectively control the supply of vacuum to the suction apertures.

In order to facilitate the singling extraction action of the uppermost label of the supply stack which is disposed in the label container beneath the nose or projection holding its edge, the feeder is preferably so arranged and is of such dimensions that the cycloid pres ents a small loop or bend at the label-transfer position between the label container and the label-receiving surface of the feeder star and that the outer reversal point thereof is offset by a small distance radially inwards with respect to the pitch circle of the sun wheel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One constructional example of the feeder of a labelling machine in accordance with the invention is hereinafter explained by reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a labelling machine equipped with a feeder in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically the arrangement of two feeders according to the invention on a labelling machine suitable for applying front and back labels;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic axial section through the feeder;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation thereof;

FIG. 5 is another diagram explaining the manner in which the feeder operates;

FIGS. 6 to 19 are phases of movement which illustrate the operations in the transfer and advance of a label by the feeder, and

FIG. 20 is an axial section through one practical constructional form of the feeder.

DESCRIPTION Illustrated in FIG. 1 is the installation of a feeder 4 according to the invention, which always extracts one label from a label container 3 and transfers it to a suction transfer cylinder 5, from which it transfers to and is advanced by means of a gumming drum 6 provided with a coating of gum by a gumming arrangement 7 and with the coaction of a stripper device 13 in a manner known per se to the revolving belt 2 of a label-applying device which is provided with suction unions 55, the belt being constructed in known manner according to German Auslegeschrift 1,5 86,403 and running over a comparatively large drum 1 and a smaller drum 12, the labels taken over behind the stripper device 13 by the gumming drum 6 and held by suction effect on the belt 2 being fed to the articles, more especially the bottles 8, which are to be labelled and which are guided along on a rectilinear conveyor belt past the belt 2, after which they are gripped by the separating worm 9 arranged along the conveyor mechanism 10 on the outer edge thereof and brought to an equal spacing. The labels are applied to the articles 8 while the latter are undergoing a rolling movement between the belt 2 and a counteracting surface 11 consisting of sponge rubber. Instead of the label-supply arrangement shown in FIG. 1 and which operates with the belt 2, it is obviously also possible for a labelling cylinder or the like constructed in the usual manner to co-operate with the feeder 4 and the gumming drum 6.

As will be seen from FIG. 2, the labelling machine can also be equipped with two feeders 4, 4a in accordance with the invention, when the machine is, for example, concerned with the application of front and back labels, which feeders singly extract the labels 16, 16a, l6aa from the label containers 3 and 3a, respectively, and supply them by way of the suction cylinders 5 and 5a with the suction apertures 45 and 45a, respectively, successively to the circumference of the gumming drum 6, from which they are supplied by coaction of the stripper device 13, to the labelling cylinder 1' with the suction apertures 56. The labelreceiving surfaces 19 and 19a of the feeders 4 and 4a, respectively, are provided with suction apertures 18 and 18a, respectively. The application of gum to the gumming drum 6 is also effected in known manner with this constructional form by the gumming device 7. It is possible to provide a front dating device 14 on the circumference of the gumming drum 6, while a back dating device 15 can be arranged on the circumference of the labelling cylinder 1.

The principle as regards the construction of the feeder according to the invention can be seen from FIG. 3. In this figure, feeder 4 is illustrated at the moment of the transfer of the foremost label 16a by the suction apertures 18 from the label container 3, the singled label being pulled out underneath the projections 24 of the container. The feeder 4, carrying suction apertures 18 on its label-receiving surface 19, is connected so as to be fast in rotation with a planet wheel 23, which meshes with a fixedly arranged sun wheel 22, and axle shaft 21 of the planet wheel 23 being a crank pin on a crankshaft 20, which is journalled for rotation in the frame of the labelling machine.

FIG. 4 is a diagram which shows a plan view of the feeder in a diagrammatically simplified form, in which can be seen the rolling motion of the planet wheel 23 on the internal toothing of the sun wheel 22, in the same way as the cycloidal path described by the centers of the suction apertures 18 of the feeder 4 and having the outer reversing points 17a, 1712, which are loopshaped. Since the label-receiving surface 19 of each arm is set back by a distance a (FIG. 4), radially inwards relatively to the pitch circle of the sun wheel 22, as can also be seen in FIG. 3, the looped character of the reversing points 17a, 17b of the cycloid is established, with the effect that the uppermost label 16a to be separated from the label container 3 is extracted with a brief movement component of the labelreceiving surface 19, which surface is lying in the plane of this label 16a. As the label is shifted with the surface 19 it engages and is directed away from the other labels by the projection 24 on the end of the label container 3. As a consequence, initially an extraction of the edge of the label 16a is efiected beneath the projection 24 before the loop at the outer reversal point 17a is left in the direction of the point of the arrow shown on the cycloid. It is thus shown that there is not only a momentary stoppage at the reversal point of the cycloid path of the center of the suction apertures 18 of the feeder 4, but that immediately thereafter there is initially a movement of the label-receiving surface 19 away from the projection 24 of the label container 3, so that not only is there a smooth transfer of the uppermost label 16a to the label-receiving surface 19 of the feeder 4, the suction apertures 18 of which are at this instant connected in a manner still to be described to a vacuum source, but also simultaneously the pulling out of said label beneath the projection 24 of the label container 3, avoiding the disruptions which frequently occurred in previously known feed mechanisms.

As can be seen particularly clearly from FIG. 5, the path of the center points of the suction apertures 18 of the label-receiving surfaces 19 is along the cycloid path comprising the outer reversal points 17a 17e, in such a way that the label is transferred to the suction apertures 45 of the suction cylinder 5 exactly at the midpoint of the feeder surface path between the outer reversal points 17a and 17b, the maximum tangential speed occurring at this center point along the cycloidal path. The feeder is so arranged and is of such dimensions, and its parts are so designed, that the tangential speed of the centers of the suction apertures 18 of the feeder 4, at this transfer position, which is also particularly shown in FIG. 6, agrees exactly with the circumferential speed of the center point of the suction aperture 45 of the suction cylinder 5, which in its turn again agrees in a manner known per se with the circumferential speed of the gumming drum 6. It thus follows that the transfer of the label 16 from the label-receiving surface 19 of the feeder 4 to the circumference of the suction cylinder 5 also takes place in a completely smooth manner, namely with the circumferential speeds of the suction cylinder 5 and the feeder 4 in conformity at this point.

The further progress in the movement of the label 16, of the feeder 4 and of the suction cylinder 5 can be seen from FIGS. 7 to 19 which reproduce the individual phases of movement, while FIG. 15 in addition also illustrates the control procedures for the supply of vacuum to the suction apertures 18 in the label-receiving surfaces 19 of the feeder 4, to which hereinafter more detailed reference is to be made.

The principle as regards the control of the supply of vacuum to the suction apertures 18 is illustrated in FIG. 3 and in FIG. 20, from which it can be seen that an upper valve plate 25, advantageously made of bronze, is interposed between a fixedly arranged, lower rotary valve plate 26, which communicates by way of a flexible pipe 30 or the like with a vacuum pump (not shown) and that underside of the planet wheel 23 which is formed as a packing or sealing surface. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 20, the lower valve plate is urged under the action of a helical spring 29 against the upper valve plate 25 situated above it and this latter plate is in its turn urged against the underside of the planet wheel 23, the latter having at least one opening 38 which is in continuous communication with a passage 34 in the feeder 4 extending parallel to the axis of the crank pin 21, passage 34 in its turn being connected to the suction apertures 18 in the labelreceiving surface 19.

A pin 40 is arranged through the crank arm which connects the crankshaft 20 and the crank pin 21 and projects at its two ends 41 and 42 from respective ends of the crank arm. Ends 41 and 42 of the pin engage in grooves 43 and 44 on the inside of a central bore in the upper valve plate 25. Consequently, the valve plate is fixed to rotate coaxially and directly with the crankshaft. Moreover the control openings 38 and 39 and also the openings 57 in the bottom valve plate 26 can in known manner be so designed that the maximum suction effect in the suction apertures 18 always occurs when this is necessary for the purpose of taking a label 16a from the label container 3, while the suction effect is shut off when the transfer of the label 16 to the suction cylinder 5 takes place in the position shown in FIG. 6. The suction transfer cylinder 5, in appropriately similar manner, being so controlled as regards its suction aperture 45 that the maximum vacuum occurs in this suction aperture at the instant of the transfer of the label 16 from the star feeder arm. As shown in broken lines in FIG. 15, the diameters of the control apertures 39 can be made different in the circumferential direction of the planet wheel 23, in order always to produce at each position in the path of the feeder the most expedient pressure conditions in the suction apertures 18.

In detaiL'the fixing of the sun wheel 22 in the manner as illustrated in FIG. 20 is preferably effected with the use of spacer members 28 and screws 35, 36, the screws 35 engaging on the machine frame and the screws 36 on the sun wheel 22.

The bottom valve plate 26 is secured against rotation in a'manner known per se, by a bolt 27 fitting into a bore in the underside thereof, the bolt being fixed on the machine frame. The bottom valve plate 26 is so constructed that it is applied under the action of the helical spring 29 so as to float freely against the upper valve plate 25.

The planet wheel 23, together with the actual feeder 4, is mounted by means of a ball bearing 32 on the terminal or upper end of the crank pin 21 and by means of a needle bearing 33 on the base end of crank pin 21. The crankshaft 20 is driven, in a manner not shown, from the main drive of the labelling machine, as are also the suction cylinders 5 and 5a and the gumming drum 6.

The details as regards construction, which have previously been described in conjunction with the feeder 4 are appropriately produced in exactly the same manner with the feeder 4a according to FIG. 2.

As regards the dimensions of the parts of the feeder and the arrangement thereof, the conditions which are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 are preferably applicable. The distance between the adjacent outer reversing points 17a and 17b of the cycloid amounts to one-fifth of a revolution of the sun wheel, so that with one revolution of the crankshaft, the feeder star executes onefourth of a revolution; the transmisson ratio between sun wheel and planet wheel is 1.25 1. According to FIG. 5, the shaft of the suction cylinder 5 is arranged at an angle of 36 in relation to the first outer reversal point 17a of the cycloid, that is to say, as already mentioned, exactly in the middle between the first outer reversal point 17a and the second outer reversal point 17b of the cycloid.

Using the feeder according to the invention, it is for example possible to apply belly labels with a maximum length of 130 mm on bottles with a maximum diameter of mm at a rate of up to 60,000 bottles per hour, and belly and back labels can be applied with efficiencies of 30,000 bottles per hour.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Feeder, for labelling machines in which labels are singled and extracted from a label container and transferred via a suction transfer cylinder to a gumming drum arranged before a label-applicator device, the feeder having a feeder star with plural arms arranged in a substantially star-shaped pattern and provided with label-receiving surfaces on said arms containing controlled suction apertures for the singling and carrying of the labels and including a planet (or epicyclic) gear drive comprising a crank pin on a crankshaft mounting the feeder star with the label-receiving surfaces on the ends of its arms, an externally toothed planet wheel connected to be coaxial with and secured to rotate with said feeder star, and a fixed sun wheel arranged concentrically of the crankshaft and with which said planet wheel meshes; the arrangement being such that the center line of the suction apertures of the labelreceiving arm surfaces of the feeder star describes a cycloid, of which one outer reversal point coincides with the label-transfer position between feeder star and the label container arranged adjacent the periphery thereof, whereas the transfer point between the periphery of the suction transfer cylinder, which is arranged between the peripheral path of said feeder star and the periphery of the gumming drum, where the transfer cylinder takes the labels from the label-receiving surface of the feeder star lies substantially in the middle between the said one reversal point and a next outer reversal point of the cycloid.

2. Feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: the outer reversal points of the cycloid are spaced apart by one-fifth of a revolution of the crankshaft, that the feeder star executes a quarter of a revolution with one revolution of the crankshaft and that the transmission ratio between sun wheel and planet wheel is 1.25 l.

3. Feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that the planet wheel is formed with passage openings for the vacuum which can be supplied to the suction apertures through a passage which is arranged axially parallel in the arm of the feeder star and connected to the suction apertures in te label-receiving surfaces thereof and is formed on its underside as a packing surface which co-operates with a rotary slide valve for controlling the feeding of vacuum to the suction apertures, said valve being urged against said surface under the action of a spring.

4. Feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that it is so arranged and is of such dimensions that the cycloid presents a small loop at the label-transfer position between the label container and a label-receiving surface of the feeder star, and that the outer reversal point thereof is offset by a small distance radially inwards with respect to the pitch circle of the sun wheel.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,791,904 'Date d February 12, 1974 Inventor(s) Ernst Schlach't It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col umnjl, line 40, change "lable" to label.

Column 6,. line 55, (claim 3) change "te" to -'-the--.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of July 1974 (SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY 14. GIBsoN, JR. 1c. MARSHALL 'DANN Attestlng Offl CeI ConunissionerofiPatents 

1. Feeder, for labelling machines in which labels are singled and extracted from a label container and transferred via a suction transfer cylinder to a gumming drum arranged before a label-applicator device, the feeder having a feeder star with plural arms arranged in a substantially star-shaped pattern and provided with label-receiving surfaces on said arms containing controlled suction apertures for the singling and carrying of the labels and including a planet (or epicyclic) gear drive comprising a crank pin on a crankshaft mounting the feeder star with the label-receiving surfaces on the ends of its arms, an externally toothed planet wheel connected to be coaxial with and secured to rotate with said feeder star, and a fixed sun wheel arranged concentrically of the crankshaft and with which said planet wheel meshes; the arrangement being such that the center line of the suction apertures of the label-receiving arm surfaces of the feeder star describes a cycloid, of which one outer reversal point coincides with the label-transfer position between feeder star and the label container arranged adjacent the periphery thereof, whereas the transfer point between the periphery of the suction transfer cylinder, which is arranged between the peripheral path of said feeder star and the periphery of the gumming drum, where the transfer cylinder takes the labels from the label-receiving surface of the feeder star lies substantially in the middle between the said one reversal point and a next outer reversal point of the cycloid.
 2. Feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: the outer reversal points of the cycloid are spaced apart by one-fifth of a revolution of the crankshaft, that the feeder star executes a quarter of a revolution with one revolution of the crankshaft and that the transmission ratio between sun wheel and planet wheel is 1.25 :
 1. 3. Feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that the planet wheel is formed with passage openings for the vacuum which can be supplied to the suction apertures through a passage which is arranged axially parallel in the arm of the feeder star and connected to the suction apertures in te label-receiving surfaces thereof and is formed on its underside as a packing surface which co-operates with a rotary slide valve for controlling the feeding of vacuum to the suction apertures, said valve being urged against said surface under the action of a spring.
 4. Feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that it is so arranged and is of such dimensions that the cycloid presents a small loop at the label-transfer position between the label container and a label-receiving surface of the feeder star, and that the outer reversal point thereof is offset by a small distance radially inwards with respect to the pitch circle of the sun wheel. 